Overview of Birthmarks & Vascular Anomalies Center

Children's Hospital of Wisconsin is one of the leading pediatric hospitals in the diagnosis, research and treatment of birthmarks and vascular anomalies in the country. Our program treats children and adults of all ages.

Video: Meet Dr. Drolet and learn about our Birthmarks & Vascular Anomalies Center

The Birthmarks & Vascular Anomalies Center diagnoses and treats:

• Complex hemangiomas.
• Infantile hemangiomas.
• Congenital hemangiomas.
• Capillary malformations.
• Venous malformations.
• Arteriovenous malformations.
• Lymphatic malformations.
• Cystic hygromas.
• Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome.
• Kasabach-Merritt syndrome/phenomenon.
• Tufted angioma.
• Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma.
• Mixed vascular anomalies.
• PHACE syndrome.
• Multifocal Lymphangioendotheliomatosis with Thrombocytopenia (MLT).

The power of teamwork

A young girl with a hemangioma on the side of her face.

An internationally respected team of doctors and researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin share a vision to provide excellent care for children with infantile hemangiomas, congenital hemangiomas, PHACE syndrome and vascular anomalies.

This strong partnership between doctors representing medical, surgical and research disciplines is essential since vascular anomalies are complex. Each case is very individualized based on many factors, such as the age of the patient, type of vascular anomaly and its location on the body. Doctors from each of these disciplines work together to accurately diagnose each case and determine the most effective and individualized course of treatment. Meet our birthmark treatment specialists.

One-stop care

Patients see all of the necessary physicians in each visit, reducing the number of trips to the clinic. Each patient is evaluated and treated, as appropriate, by a team of specialists from many different areas of medicine, including dermatology (skin doctors), oncology (cancer doctors), radiology (imaging doctors), pathology (doctors who study the cause of diseases), otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat doctors), plastic surgery, orthopedic surgery, and ophthalmology (eye doctors). These specialists discuss all treatment options, weighing the risks and benefits of each as a collaborative group to provide a unified opinion on the best treatment plan. This system prevents patient families from having to make numerous appointments to see each specialist separately and receiving conflicting opinions from the various providers. 

Cutting-edge research 

The Birthmarks and Vascular Anomalies Center represents a unique collaboration between an institution with a longstanding reputation of providing excellent clinical care for infants–Children's Hospital of Wisconsin–along with the Medical College of Wisconsin, a teaching institution with an emphasis on translational research. The vascular anomalies team is currently conducting research on the causes and potential cures for infantile hemangiomas. Paula E. North, MD, PhD, is internationally recognized for her landmark research regarding the cell of origin of hemangiomas. This work and subsequent studies have yielded several important clues about what causes infantile hemangiomas and important new tools for diagnosing them. In addition, medical director Beth A. Drolet, MD, is a leader in the Hemangioma Investigator Group, a multi-institutional clinical research group composed of 11 international sites. These collective research initiatives have provided the rare opportunity to bridge knowledge gained in the laboratory directly to care of infants with hemangiomas. 

Superior diagnostics capabilities

Our team has access to state-of-the-art technology and a wide range of resources in research, pathology, radiology and numerous clinical departments. Paula North, MD, PhD, is an internationally recognized expert in the pathologic diagnosis of vascular anomalies. She has developed several specialized tests that aid in the classification of vascular anomalies. She provides an international consultation service.
 

Highly specialized programs

To provide focused expertise, we offer a Hemangioma of Infancy Clinic, Laser Clinic and Surgery Clinic.